Angularly adjustable bus bar support assembly



March 6, 1962 A. B. GUNTHEL, JR 3,023,990

ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE BUS BAR SUPPORT ASSEMBLY Filed July 21, 1960 INVENTOR l q- 4 A'zpam 3. QUA/THEL 7%.

United States Patent 3,023,990 ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE BUS BAR SUPPORT ASSEMBLY Alfred B. Gunthel, Jr., Sea Clitf, N.Y., assignor to Dessert Manufacturing orp., Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed July 21, 1960, Ser. No. 44,430 Claims. (Cl. 248-70) This invention relates in general to supporting brackets for electrical conductors and in particular to improvements in mounting arrangements for brackets to allow unlimited angular adjustment thereof.

The present invention is related to improvements, simplications, and economies that may be effected in angularly adjustable bus bar supports of the type described in applicants previously granted Us. Letters Patent 2,861,- 762, assigned to the same assignee. The present invention employs a substantially identical upper conductor clamping structure comprised of a lower saddle portion and an upper cap portion as described in the aforementioned patent but incorporates an improved clamping ring portion spaced about the flanged pedestal base. In one form, the improved clamping ring portion includes a one piece annular ring having a plurality of inwardly extending tab portions which define an overall inside diameter of slightly smaller dimension than the outside diameter of the pedestal flange. The interference created between the extending tab portions of the clamping ring and the flange diameter makes the clamping ring captive about the support column, thereby preventing separation and loss of the bracket parts.

Another form of the invention is fabricated by a unique method of manufacture, wherein a unitary captive clamping ring is cast about the support column at the same time that the support column is cast. In this manner, a two-piece inseparable assembly is also created wherein no loss of the individual pieces may occur.

Still another form of the invention employs a clamping ring formed from two adjoining riveted semi-circular portions.

A feature of the invention is that in all embodiments no possibility of misplacement of the parts of the bracket may occur because although the supporting bracket is a multi-piece assembly all the pieces thereof are held thereon as a result of the novel construction.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved clamping ring for an unlimited angularly adjustable conductor support.

Another object of the invention is to provide a unitary one piece clamping ring which is inseparate from the support bracket proper.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved clamp body for rotatably adjustable conductor supports.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel method of manufacture of a device for accomplishing the above stated purposes.

A further object of the invention is to provide an angularly adjustable electrical support which is simple in design, durable in construction and economical to manufacture.

Other objects and advantagse of the invention will become apparent and the invention will be fully understood from the following description and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of the invention as mounted on a typical insulator support;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a portion of FIG. 1 showing in addition the placement of the mounting bolts through the clamping ring;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of another form of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another form of clamping ring;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is an overall perspective view of the invention as attached to a typical tubular bus bar.

Referring to the drawing the invention as embodied includes an adjustable tubular bus support bracket shown generally at 10 mounted upon an upstanding insulator 22. The support bracket 10 includes a semi-circular clamping cap 12 which is bolted to a lower semi-circular clamping saddle portion 14 to enclose a tubular bus bar 16 in rigid fashion. The clamping saddle 14 is supported upon a pedestal or column 18 having an annular shoulder or flange 20 upon its lower end. An L-shaped annular clamping ring or gland 24 is positioned about the pedestal 18 between the annular shoulder 20 and the saddle 14 and is secured by a plurality of bolts 32 in threaded engagement with the supporting insulator 22. The securing bolts 32 pass through the U-shaped opening 26 in the horizontal portion of the clamping ring 24 and engage the ring by employing a plurality of fiat washers 30 thereunder. The clamping ring is provided with four inwardly projecting retaining tabs or ears 28 which extend inwardly to define a smaller diameter than the outside diameter of the flange 20. In this manner, because of the overlying relation of the ears 28 it can be seen how the clamping ring 24 remains attached to the entire bus support assembly whenever it is stored in a stock room or otherwise not actually in use in bolted relation upon an insulator.

In the manufacture of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, the securing tabs 28 may be in raised relation prior to the assembly of the ring 24 upon the pedestal thereby allowing the insertion of the clamping ring about the pedestal portion 18. Thereafter, the tabs 28 may be formed into the position shown to interlock the parts.

In another form of the invention as embodied in FIG. 3, an alternate one piece clamping ring 34 is shown about the column 18 overlying flange 20. The clamping ring 34 in this embodiment employs a plurality of spaced apertures 36 therethrough which are adapted to receive similar securing bolts 32 as employed in the previous embodiment. In this form of the invention, the diameter of aperture 38 is smaller than the outside dimension of the clamping flange 20 thereby also accomplishing the same captive relation between the relative parts. The one piece ring 34 is cast about the column 18 during the casting of the latter.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, a still further form of the invention is shown wherein two identical semi-circular clamping rings 40 are used. The clamp halves 40 are secured together by a pair of rivets 42 which pass through the overlapping tongue portion 44 and step portions 46. In the fabrication of this form of the invention, the halves 4040 are merely placed about the pedestal 18 during riveting and thereafter because the inside diameter of the clamp 40 is smaller than the outside diameter of the annular shoulder 20 it will remain attached thereto under all circumstances.

It can be seen how the invention has produced an im proved adjustable bus bar support which allows unlimited angular orientation relative to the mounting insulator 22. The desired alignment of the support bracket with the bus 16 may be obtained by merely loosening the bolts 32 and repositioning the clamping assembly. No likelihood exists that the clamping ring associated with the support will be lost due to its captive relation about the pedestal of the support. Those familiar with the art will readily appreciate how the provision of a unitary one piece clamping ring about the support base provides an improved equalization of bolt stresses about the entire periphery of the clamping flange 20 and will thereby minimize the likelihood of non-uniform stresses both in the bus support and also within the insulator 22.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention principles, it will be understood that the invention maybe embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

I claim:

1. A conductor support assembly having unlimited angular alignment freedom with respect to its mounting surface comprising two integral first and second members, said first member including a support column, attachment means at one end of said column for securing a rigid conductor thereto, said attachment means being of considerably larger external dimension than said support column, and an enlarged flange at the other end of said support column, said second member including a unitary annular clamping ring captively located around said support column having a central open portion therein of smaller inside measurement than said attachment means and said flange whereby said second member will remain integral with said first member.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of spaced protruberances extending radially inward are attached to the inside diameter of said annular clamping ring to provide the smaller inside measurement.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said clamping ring includes a pair of semi-circular halves having overlapping end portions, and rivet means securing said semi-circular halves in rigid relation in captive fashion about said support column.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein each of said semi-circular halves includes a pair of spaced openings passing therethrough, said openings being spaced at suflicient diameter to allow passage of fastening bolts to extend therethrough in clearance relation about said flange outside diameter.

5. A conductor support assembly according to claim 1,

wherein said annular clamping ring is a one piece casting.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

